Why are there so many languages? What was the linguistic landscape like in prehistory?

Language is one of the main distinctive features of our species. It allows us to think, transmit information and socialize in a particularly effective way. At the same time, it manifests itself in a multiplicity of languages, which are an important part of our identity, but which also make contact between people difficult. How did language appear? Why are there so many languages? What was the linguistic landscape like in prehistory?

The Origin of Language is a fascinating book written by Antonio Benítez Burraco, biologist and linguist, which explores the mysteries of human language and its relationship with our species. Through a comparison with the communicative and cognitive capacities of animals, and the examination of the fossil and archaeological record, the book seeks to understand the evolutionary itinerary of language, including its possible presence in extinct species close to our own and the causes of current linguistic diversity. Ultimately, asking about the origin of language is asking what it means to be human.